Box-taping machine



L. P. MlLLER AND F. E. JOHNSTON.

BOXTAPING MAC HINE. 'APPLJCATIOH FILED- ocT. 16. 1920.

1 3179 469 Patented May 24, 1921'.

2 SHEETS SHEE T I.

INVENTORH W ITNESS L. P. MILLER AND F. E. JOHNSTON.-

BOX TAPl-NG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.16, 1920-.

l ,,3379 A69w Patented May 24,1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

. 0% 7; /M BY WITNESS:

ATTORNEY LOUISB'IVIILLER AND FRANK E. JOHNSTON, O1 PHOENIXVILLE, PENNSYLVANEA BOX-TAPING MACHINE.

Application filed October 16, 1920.

T all 20 7mm it may concern:

Be it known that we, LOUIS P. MILLER and FRANK Edonnsron, citizens of the United States, residing at Phoenixville, in the county of Chester and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Box-Taping Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to boxes and similar forms of containers and has for an object to provide a machine for quickly and effectively taping boxes.

The invention comprehends among other features the provision of a simple inexpen sive machine which when properly manipulated applies to a box, a tape generally employed for securing the cover of the box in position after the same has been placed upon the box. To this end the box is first arranged upon the machine so that a plurality of needles will project through the bottom of the box to receive the tape, the box being then withdrawn from the machine, causing the ends of thetape to be drawn through the openings made by the needles so that the ends of the tape will lie free exteriorly of the box permitting them to be drawn around the sides of the box and over the cover so that the ends of the tapelcan be suitably tied or fastened. Although we are aware that the taping ofboxes has been accomplished heretofore and taped boxes are now generally used at the present time, in the majority of these instances, the boxes are taped by hand; that is to say the tape is drawn into the box by manually puncturing the bottom of the box, the tape being then drawn across the inner face of the bottom and an end drawn out of the bottom of the box through another manually punctured opening. \Vith our machine we aim to accomplish the tapof boxes quickly and effectively enabling an operator to tape many more boxes by reason of the novel arrangement, construction and operation ofthe machine than the same operator can ordinarily tape by hand.

in the further disclosure of the invention reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings constituting a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which,-

Figure lis a side elevation of the machine in one of its simplest forms, a box beshown in dotted lines;

Fig. 2- is a front elevation of the ma- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2d, 1921. Serial No. 417,494.

chine shown in Fig. 1, a box being shown in dotted lines;

F 1g. is a rear elevation of the machine shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

F 1g. tis a fragmentary vertical transverse sectional View taken through a portion of the machine showing the mounting of one of the needles and the relative arrangement of the box and tape;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view showing the disposition of the tape and needles as to a box to be taped, and

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross sectional view taken through a box which has been taped by the machine, the full lines indicating the normal position of the tape when the cover is elf and the dotted lines, the manner in which the tape is secured around the cover after the latter has been placed in position.

Referring more particularly to the views, we provide a substantially circular face plate 10 preferably supported in an inclined position by reason of a horizontal base 11 and an upright 12. The face plate 10 includes a depending centrally longitudinally slotted tail 1 3 and the plate is also provided with a plurality of similar slots let extending substantially horizontally across and through the plate but not connected. To the underside of the plate are secured a plurality of bearings 15 forming mountings for a screw 16 of a right and left hand nature with the end of the screw carrying a suitable crank handle 17 for the operation of the former. Blocks 18 are arranged to slide in the slots 14 and are threaded on to thethreads of the screw, one of the blocks being a commodated on the right hand threads and the other on the left hand threads of the screw, sa id blocks carrying suitable needles 1- which project upwardly beyond the boundaries of the slots l l. it will be apparent that by rotating the crank handle 17 the operation of the screw 16 will cause the blocks and the attendant needles to be moved toward or away from each other and of course the face plate may be provided with a suitable scale 20 adjacent to the slots Ll for readily determining the relative distance be tween the needles at all times, and thus providing for the ready adjustment of the needles to bring them into the proper spaced relation. A rest 21 of a substantially L shaped nature is mounted to slide in the slot of the tail 13 being secured in a rigid position on the tail by a suitable thumb nut 22 and the face plate adjacent the slot in the tail and upon the tail may be provided witha scale 23 for determining the distance a-56iand it will be apparent that when it is desired to apply a tape to the box shown, it is first desirable to manipulate the handle 17 in order that the needles will be spaced apart a distance slightly less than the width of the box, the rest 21 being adjusted on the tail so that when the box is placed against the face plate the needles will engage with-the bottom of the box and substantially the medial portion thereof. Each needle is formed with a slot 26 somewhat of the bayonet type and of course the f ee ends of the needles are pointed. Now when a box is placed against the face plate and against the rest 21 the placing of the box in this position will cause theneedles to project through the bottom of the box due to the puncturing of the box bottom by the needles when the box is placed in position. The tape 2-5 is now applied to the needles to be received in the slots 26 thereof with the ends of the tape free and then when the box is withdrawn from the face plate thus withdrawing the needles through the punctured parts it will be apparent that the tape will be carried therewith so that when the box is entirely withdrawn from the machine the ends of thetape will lie exteriorly of the box to each side of the bottom and themedial portion of the tape will lie within the box against the innerface of the bottom. The usual cover 27 can now be applied to the box and the ends of the tape then drawn around the sides of the box and over the cover and tied as shown in Fig. 6.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the manipulation and operation of the device described is of a very simple nature and that boxes of various widths and sizes can be readily accommodated to the device for the purpose of taping the boxes or containers; furthermore the device may be employed for taping boxes of a circular elongated or square configuration, and that with a machine of the character described the taping operation can be more quickly and accurately accomplished than by the usual hand method heretofore generally employed.

the operation of the screw, said blocks operating in said slots, needles carriedby the blocks and projecting upwardly beyond the slots and the face plate, and-a rest adjustably mounted on the face plate.

2-. A box taping machine comprising a face. plate, needles projecting upwardly beyond the face plate and movablev toward or away from each other, and a rest adjustably carried on the face plate. I

3. A box taping machine comprising a face plate, relatively adjustable box puncturing and tape carrying needles on the face plate, and a box rest acljustably carried on the face plate.

i. In a box taping machine the combination with a base, an upright extending vertically therefrom of a slotted face plate supported by said base and upright, box puncturing needles disposed to project upwardly beyond the slots and the face plate and means for relatively. adjusting said needles.

5,111 a boxtaping machine, the combina tion with a base, an upright extending vertically therefrom, a slotted face plate sup ported by said base and upright, and tape carrying means adjustably mounted on the face plate and projecting upwardly beyond the slots and the face plate to insure application of the tape'to the box when the box is placed on the plate aforesaid and'subsequently removed therefrom. V

6. In a box taping machine,the combination with a base, an upright extending vertically, therefrom, of a slotted face plate supported by said base and upright, and tape holding means adjustably mounted on the face plate and projecting upwardly beyond the slots and the face plate, the same serving to puncture'the box when it is placed on said plate and tape the same when it is subsequently removed therefrom.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

.. LOUIS P. MILLER.

. FRANK E. JOHNSTON. 

